


Bane of My Existence (A Tale by Alec Lightwood)

by Aria_Lerendeair



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alec Lightwood the disaster gay, Flirting, M/M, Magical Awakening, Magnus is a former warlock with dormant magic, Magnus is charmed, Moderate Crack Fic, Overprotective Alec Lightwood, Seduction through hair care, Shadowhunters Universe (more or less), canon adjacent, meet ugly, snarky flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:22:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22643314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria_Lerendeair/pseuds/Aria_Lerendeair
Summary: When his sister comes home with her hair a disaster thanks to an incompetent hair stylist, Alec decides to go give them a piece of his mind, and to get her money back.  Only to discover a former-warlock with dormant magic, who was maybe not as incompetent as he thought...
Relationships: Isabelle Lightwood/Meliorn, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 37
Kudos: 309
Collections: Favorite Malec Stories





	Bane of My Existence (A Tale by Alec Lightwood)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LaCroixWitch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaCroixWitch/gifts).



> This fic is dedicated to the world's best beta, LaCroixWitch, because listen. She needed a Hairdresser Magnus AU, and, well, she got one. This fic is a bit cracky and a lot ridiculous, but I love it a lot, SO PLEASE ENJOY. 
> 
> Also cutting hair with fire IS A THING - you can find videos on youtube.

Alec had half a second to realize that something was very, very wrong with Izzy before he got out of the line of fire of Izzy’s warpath as she stormed past him in the Ops Center. "Izzy?" Alec called after her. 

"Don't say an angel-damned word!" Izzy snarled, her hand twitching by her thigh holster. "I’m scheduled to go to Alicante in three days, and I look like  _ this _ ?!" Her cheeks deflated as she huffed out an angry breath. “I can’t go like this, it’s not happening.”

Alec blinked quickly, taking in the outfit that Izzy was wearing. It didn't seem remarkably dramatic — black jeans, heels, a tight top and—  _ that. _ He froze and stared at the offender— her hair. He gawked at t the very bright, very obvious  _ white _ streak going down the back of her hair. 

"Wh— what?!" Alec sputtered. 

Izzy took a deep breath and spun on her heel, looking at Alec. "I went to get my hair done before my trip. I wanted to make a good impression. I wanted to look  _ professional. _ ” She pinched the bridge of her nose.“My hair had some sort of bad reaction to the dye the hairdresser used. I was trying to put some nice highlights in, lighten my look, look less intimidating. Fuck me for making an effort, I guess." 

Alec couldn’t drag his eyes away from Izzy, at the way her voice trailed off, dejected and sad. Her signature fire was dimmed, and a fraternal urge to protect surged in him. He narrowed his eyes, swearing vengeance to whoever had done this to his sister. "Please tell me you didn't pay for the service, at least, Izzy." 

Izzy huffed and tossed her skunk-striped hair, but winced as her eyes caught the white. "I— of course I did. A service was done, so you have to  _ pay _ , Alec. I know you don’t get out into the mundane world often, but that’s how businesses work." 

Alec caught the minute flinch from Izzy and took a slow, calming breath, hoping the gesture would transfer to her "Tell me where you went to get your hair done," Alec said steadily. 

"You're not going to kill them, are you?" Izzy said, fighting down a laugh, even as she blinked hard, her eyes watering. "It is just hair, Alec— " 

"But they sabotaged your visit to Idris," Alec said. "You should be looking your best. That is what you paid them for. The fact that you are not happy should— " 

"Alec," Izzy interrupted, realizing that Alec was taking this far more seriously than she’d intended. "It's not that big a deal. My hair is black, I can dye over it,” she dismissed. 

"You, you look like that, that cat. From Looney Tunes," Alec said with a deep frown.

Izzy blinked and burst out laughing, some of her upset fading away. " _ Penelope Pussycat?  _ Does that make Meliorn  _ Pepe Le Pew? _ " 

It was far more accurate than he wanted to admit, and Alec fought down a smile, his eyes trailing up to the white streak again. Unacceptable. He would take care of this.

"As entertaining as that thought is, it's okay Alec. I'll survive,” Izzy said, fighting down another smile.

Alec scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. "Tell me where you went. I'm going to go down and talk to them. At the  _ very  _ least get your money back." 

"Alec, I love you for being the overprotective big brother, but I don't— " 

Alec pulled out the big guns. No one made his little sister almost cry. "If you don't tell me, I won't erase all the security footage of you looking less than your best." Alec crossed his arms. “It will forever live in infamy. If you’re lucky, I won’t bust it out to show at your wedding.” 

Izzy stared at him, narrowing her eyes. "Underhill wouldn't— " 

"Underhill," Alec drawled. "Reports to me, Isabelle.” Plus, he suspected Underhill was more than a bit biased. “Now. The name of the salon." 

Amused — and finally acquiescing— Izzy gave Alec the name of the salon and watched the his brain turn as he memorized the address before stuffing the business card into his pocket. "No murder, promise  _ hermano _ ?" 

Alec nodded his head. "No murder. No maiming, even. But you  _ will _ get your money back." 

"If you say so." She rolled her eyes, turning on her heel and walking away.

Alec watched her go, her fingers combing nervously through her hair and narrowed his eyes, pulling the card out of his pocket. He did say so. And dammit, he was not going to let them get away with messing Izzy's hair up that badly. She was more upset than she was letting on, even though she was doing a good job of hiding it. 

~!~ 

_ Bane's Manes _

More like the _ bane _ of his existence. Alec scowled at the quickly written sign on the door. 

"Back in 10 minutes — grabbing much-needed coffee!" The frayed lined paper had clearly been ripped out of a non-perforated notebook, and the chicken scratch handwriting was faded, the pen running out of ink with each trailing letter.

What kind of business was this? How had Izzy gone to such a shabbily run salon that it couldn't even keep things staffed when someone needed to step away? Did only one person work there? Normally Izzy had the highest possible standards when it came to her beauty products and regime. He'd bought — and returned — enough Christmas and birthday presents for her to know. 

"Here for a haircut?" A bright voice asked. “Lord knows you could use one.”

Alec spun around, narrowing his eyes, and abruptly found himself frozen, staring at the man in front of him, completely arrested by the sight. His hair was swept up in a mohawk of some sort, the same dark eyeliner Izzy liked to use prominent around his eyes, and an outfit that Alec was certain Izzy would have loved to discuss in detail between the leather, red and gold sparkles and heels that rivaled hers. "Uh, no," he muttered, when he realized the man was waiting for an answer. 

"Probably for the best, I'd want to take my time with someone like you, pretty boy, and, unfortunately, I'm on my own today due to a baby shower!" 

Alec blinked again as the man opened the door to the salon and held it open for him, stepping in. Baby shower? Was that why no one else was here? Feeling some of his anger abate, Alec refocused on the other man and reminded himself that he was here for Izzy. Izzy, who had almost been crying with frustration when she'd seen her hair. 

He took a deep breath and focused on the...decidedly sparkly man in front of him. This wasn't the person he needed to be angry with. This guy probably just worked here and had drawn the short straw. "I need to speak to the manager of this establishment." 

Abruptly the man's face fell and grew serious as he turned around.Alec found himself missing the easy smiles and flirtatious winks even though they'd only been there for a few minutes at most. 

"You're speaking with him.” The man half-frowned. "Is something wrong?" 

Alec blinked and opened his mouth to launch into the speech he'd prepared. That he'd even practiced. It was short, to the point, angry, and would hopefully get him what he wanted: Izzy's money back, and a promise to fix the issue with her hair. "You messed up my sister's hair." 

"I… what?" The owner blinked. “Are you sure? That doesn’t sound like something I would do. At least not to someone I liked… ” The manager smirked, raising a single, challenging eyebrow. “If your sister is as charming as you are, perhaps I  _ didn’t _ like her.” 

Alec took a deep breath, cursing himself for coming in guns blazing, because that certainly wasn’t going to get him what he wanted. "Let me start that over." He stuck out his hand impatiently. "My name is Alec Lightwood." 

The owner held out his own hand and gave it a firm shake. "Magnus Bane, owner and employee at this fine establishment. Now, what happened to your sister?" His eyes trailed up Alec's chest, lingering on the runes he could see peeking out from under the t-shirt. 

"You ruined her hair," Alec said, taking a deep breath. He could salvage this. He could. "She has an important business trip that she's taking in three days, and she looks, she looks like— " 

Magnus raised an eyebrow. "A cartoon character? Most aptly one of the most well-known villains of all time?" 

Alec snapped his mouth shut and frowned. "What? No. She looks like that cat from Looney Tunes. Who the hell do you think it looks like?" 

"It does look a bit Cruella De Ville. She could rock the look if she wanted," Magnus said, resting his elbows on the desk in front of him, his fingers tapping at the lacquered top, the sound echoing in the salon, studying the shadowhunter. "I offered to fix it, but I'm booked up until— " He produced a small, black appointment book from beneath the counter, but didn’t have time to open it before Alec cut him off. 

"Oh yeah, you look so busy," Alec snapped, looking around the empty shop. "Were you rushing to get her hair done? How could you still make her pay when you messed up that badly?" 

Magnus took a deep breath. "First off, hair dying is not an exact science. There's no guarantee that it comes out exactly how it's supposed to, because there are a number of chemicals in dye that can react unpredictably when exposed to different elements." 

"Secondly," Magnus continued, holding up a hand to prevent Alec from speaking. "I gave your sister half-off her appointment, and offered to do what I could to fix the damage, but she wasn't able to stay as it would have taken another few hours." 

Alec snapped his mouth shut and glared at Magnus. "How do you mess up doing someone's hair so badly part of it turns white?" 

"Well," Magnus shot back, his eyes narrowing. "It turns out when the  _ Shadowhunter _ sitting in my chair forgot to mention there might be Ichor in her hair when I put the dye in, and it fucked with my carefully curated mixture." 

Alec dropped his hand to his stele in his holster and glared at the man in front of him. "You’re a downworlder?" 

"Former," Magnus said with a wave of his hand, moving around the table. "Warlock. My magic's gone dormant. Hence the hair business." 

"Dormant? Why'd you let it do that?" Alec asked, studying the man when he was suddenly a lot closer. At least he knew that Magnus didn't pose any kind of a threat to him. 

Magnus was quiet. "Not a story I'm interested in telling today." He huffed. “Not that you’d care anyway, I’m  _ safer _ to everyone this way… right?” He mumbled sarcastically, his tone indicating that he was done. 

Alec swallowed and nodded. "All right. Fine. Ignoring that. You should have given her all of her money back." 

"Why?" Magnus asked, tilting his head. "The rest of her dye job was perfectly fine. It looks gorgeous, even, as does the hair cut, if I do say so myself. Should I not be paid for those?" 

"She has a giant white streak in her hair!" Alec snapped. “What part of that is so hard for you to understand?”

"And if she is so concerned about it, she shouldn't have texted me, telling me that she liked my ideas for fixing it and would be in tomorrow," Magnus growled, holding up his phone and the text conversation with Isabelle Lightwood as proof. 

Alec glanced down at the messages and saw that he was right, Izzy had confirmed an appointment time, with multiple thank yous, followed by multiple emojis. "You— " 

"Shadowhunter, if you attempt to tell me once more what I should or should not have done to make things right when something outside my control happened, I will throw you out of this store," Magnus said, his tone flat. 

Alec sighed and straightened his shoulders. He owed the warlock an apology, he did. But the last thing that he wanted to do was apologize. He wanted— He shook his head. Better not to think about that. "I'm sorry," he muttered. 

Magnus raised an imperious eyebrow. "Want to try that again?" 

Alec took a deep breath and looked up at him. "I'm sorry," he repeated, this time much more clearly. "I am sorry that I came in here angry." 

Magnus relaxed a fraction and nodded. "Apology accepted. I imagine she returned to the Institute upset and that's what sent you in here like the world's most overprotective brother?" 

"She is meeting with the Iron Sisters. This is something she's dreamed about for years," Alec said, crossing his arms over his chest. "She was upset, and she doesn't normally get upset over these things." 

"I can understand that," Magnus allowed. "Now, come on. You're here, might as well put me to use." 

Alec blinked and watched Magnus walk away from him. He definitely didn't take a long look at how good his ass looked in those leather pants. No, no he did not. "I don't— " 

"If you tell me you don't need a haircut, I'm going to call you a blatant liar. Now come here and let me tame that bird's nest that  _ you _ call a hairdo, and  _ I  _ call a hair  _ don’t _ " 

Alec was sure that he was supposed to be offended on behalf of his hair. But the absolute ridiculousness of that idea had him focusing on the hair dresser instead. "Aren't you the one who owns the place?" 

Magnus turned on a heel and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Yes? And?" 

"Why didn't you just close since everyone is at a baby shower?" Alec asked, stepping around the desk, walking towards him. 

"Why, if I'd done that, I might have missed meeting a lovely customer such as yourself, Alexander!" 

Alec settled into the chair that Magnus had stopped by and scowled. "Fine, just don't do anything weird to my hair. I'll get you back for it. Isabelle made me promise to not resort to violence, but for my hair— I’ve made no such promises." 

“Yes, yes and either you’re  _ very _ happy to see me, or you have a stele and seraph dagger riding high on your hip. I know the drill  _ nephilim. _ ” Magnus snorted and reached out, tangling his fingers into Alec's hair, immediately struck by how thick and soft it was, humming as he measured out the strands, looking at how they were perpetually messy. He was relatively sure he wouldn't be able to get Alec to leave with any product or pomade, but if he were to give it to Isabelle tomorrow, she could help with that. "I live in fear of the retribution of a baby shadowhunter. I’m absolutely quaking in my Louboutins." 

"I'm Head of the New York Institute," Alec growled, opening his eyes to look at Magnus. Even so, he couldn't help tilting his head back and into Magnus' hands, his eyes fluttering shut. He'd never had someone play with his hair like this. Any time he'd gone to get his hair cut, he'd simply asked them to shorten it, and they had. 

"Well, well," Magnus drawled, pulling his hands away, grabbing his scissors, humming as he selected a few and left them sitting on the vanity in front of his chair. "Is Mister Big Bad Shadowhunter willing to get his hair washed and shampoo'd by a former warlock?" Magnus clicked his tongue on the last syllable, insult clear. 

"Do I have to get it washed?" Alec said, sighing. "I don't even like washing my own hair." 

Magnus scoffed. "Probably because you wouldn't know the definition of comfort if it hit you in the face." 

Alec scowled and glared at Magnus. "Does everything you say have to be an insult?" 

"You make it so easy, pretty boy. Even a saint couldn’t resist— and I’m no saint... Now come on, up with you. I'll teach you to enjoy this, I promise," Magnus said, leading the way back towards the row of sinks. He pointed to a chair and watched as Alec Lightwood got himself situated. He picked up one of his favorite custom-brewed shampoos— the sandalwood one— and placed it beside the sink. Unfortunately, shampoo brewing and conditioner mixing were the only action his beakers and cauldron saw these days 

"Now," Magnus drawled, turning the sink on, waiting for the water to heat up. "I normally charge extra for this, but since you have such a low opinion of me, I'm going to have to pull out all the stops to impress." 

Alec was about to ask what that meant when water was suddenly gently cascading over his hair and Magnus' fingers were in his hair, gently rubbing and massaging at his scalp as they moved. His breath caught and his eyes fluttered shut. The touch was obviously practiced and there was a certain rhythm to it. The second that Magnus' hand was gone from his hair, a small whimper left his mouth before he could stop it. 

Magnus smirked and poured some of the sandalwood shampoo into his palm and dug his fingers into Alec's hair, watching his lips part and his neck arch as he started to massage the shampoo into his scalp and hair. He'd long since mastered the art of giving a proper massage while someone got their hair done, and he was serious about pulling out all the stops. He was even going to throw in a hot-towel treatment— a nice tea-tree, eucalyptus and almond-oil soaked cloth, warmed up just enough to make the scalp sing and the hair sigh. Alexander’s hair was in dire need of it too— his waves had seen one too many demon fights, evident not only in his hair condition, but also in the stress and tension carried in his scalp. 

Magnus was so focused on working to undo some of the knots of that tension he was glad Alec couldn't see him when another groan broke free of the shadowhunter as he scrubbed and a jolt of arousal shot through him. "Enjoying yourself, Alexander?" 

"I," Alec swallowed, shifting uncomfortably, glad when Magnus turned the water back on, making conversation more difficult. "Never had someone do that before." 

"Hmmm," Magnus hummed, rinsing out the suds slowly, running his fingers through Alec's hair again and again, ensuring every inch of it was clean. "Now we condition." 

Alec blinked his eyes open and looked up at the ceiling. "Conditioning? Isn't that something you don't have to do?" 

"Technically you should do it 2-3 times per week," Magnus allowed, pumping some of it into his hands before sinking his fingers into Alexander's hair again. "But I'm pampering you, and I'm pretty sure that while you might have watched cartoons with Isabelle, you've never conditioned your hair with her." 

Alec shook his head, laughing when he realized that Magnus' hands were on either side of his head, tilting it back, and he could see Magnus. "Magnus?" 

"Lean back for me," Magnus ordered, gently cupping Alec's forehead to keep the conditioner out of his eyes. He rinsed it out in quick and easy motions. He didn't need to think about how good his name sounded from Alexander’s lips. For all he knew the shadowhunter could still make sure he was fined, or his shop shut down if he was feeling vindictive. 

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," Alec muttered, his eyes drifting shut as he felt the last of the conditioner get washed out of his hair. 

Magnus huffed. "You already apologized, you don't need to do it again." 

Alec grunted, frowning and looked up at the ceiling. "Still doesn't make it less rude. I'm, I'm not— " Magnus could feel the muscles tightening again beneath Alexander’s scalp, undoing almost all of the hard work Magnus had done massaging them out. This boy was a bundle of stress and nerves.

"Normally a raging asshole?" Magnus offered, his breath catching when Alec laughed, his whole face scrunching up adorably with the movement. Magnus could get used to watching him from this angle, enjoying every facial expression with the luxury of knowing he couldn’t be caught staring.

Alec exhaled and couldn't help continuing to smile. "Honestly, if you asked my sister, she'd probably say that no, that was my default state of being." 

Magnus snorted and rolled his eyes. "You run an entire staff of people who are practically assholes for a living. If you weren't chief asshole, I'd be worried." 

Alec snorted again, and even though the depiction was less than flattering, it was an accurate one, and he honestly couldn't deny that. And he had a feeling that Magnus knew that, too. He cleared his throat and shivered as Magnus wrapped a warm, steamy towel around his head. It smelled heavenly and he closed his eyes, another shaky exhale escaped him. 

"Feel good?" Magnus asked, securing the towel easily, applying steadying, even pressure with his palms. It was one last-ditch effort to get the shadowhunter to relax, and thankfully, it appeared to be working.

"Yeah," Alec breathed, the sharp scent lingering, making him relax further. 

"All right, then up you go— slowly, don’t want you passing out on me. Head back to my station and I'll be right there, I just need to wipe down the sink," Magnus urged, watching Alec stand up and head back towards the main part of the salon, his head still adorably wrapped up in a towel. Knowing that there was no one there to see, and judge him for it, he let his eyes drop down, along the muscles of Alec's back, to his ass and then to the legs that went on for miles. They'd look so good spread out on his sheets, where he could assess the contour of every muscle with the dedication it deserved. But a closeted shadowhunter was not his idea of a good time. Or even a possible time, for that matter.

Magnus finished getting things sorted and headed back to his station and took the towel away from Alec's hair, giving a bemused chuckle at the absolute  _ mess _ the mound of black waves had become. No wonder it had looked like a bird's nest when he had walked in. "Now, how do you want me to cut it?" 

Alec sighed and gestured to his hair. "I don't like doing anything with it. Short as you can get it without making me look stupid, while still having hair at all so my family doesn’t complain." 

"Does your family's opinion matter so much?" Magnus asked, drawing a comb through Alec's hair, measuring it out with a quiet hum. 

"No, but I don't feel like dealing with their mockery, either," Alec grumbled. 

Magnus snorted and ignored the look from Alexander. "So I shouldn't point out that you compared your sister to a cartoon character? I mean. The tiny kitten has no sense of style and your sister— " 

"I mean," Alec huffed. "That poor cat is always getting a stripe painted on her, and then she has to endure that skunk chasing after her the entire time!" 

"I'm sure Isabelle's boyfriend  _ loved _ that," Magnus said, unable to keep from laughing. 

“You compared her to a villain, I don’t think you can talk!” Alec huffed, crossing his arms over his chest, even as Magnus started to snip at his hair. He watched pieces fall to the floor. "You're not— you're not going to give me a bald spot or anything like that, are you?" 

Magnus laughed, pulling the scissors away from Alexander's hair before meeting his eyes in the mirror. "Uncross your arms— it will make your shoulders uneven, which will in turn make your haircut uneven.” Magnus put the comb between his teeth, sliding his hands down Alec’s arms to encourage them along. “No, I'm not going to give you a bald spot. Make it a bit easier to deal with in the mornings? Define the waves a little? Make sure everyone can see those gorgeous hazel eyes of yours? Yes, that I am going to do." 

"I don't need to show off my eyes," Alec huffed, dropping his eyes to the floor, his ears red as a blush grew on his cheeks. Damn Magnus for being able to compliment him so easily. What the hell was he supposed to say back to that? What  _ could _ he say back? 

"Anyone who has ever seen your eyes agrees with me, Alexander, I promise you that. Now, I know that I ruined some of Isabelle's hair, but you haven't shown up with any Ichor in your hair and we are staying far away from dye. So trust me," Magnus whispered, giving another firm snip to his hair. 

Alec swallowed and met Magnus' eyes through the mirror. "I do,” he managed and felt Magnus’ fingers twitch in his hair. “Trust you, that is." His scalp was still tingling from the massage earlier and he couldn't help thinking this was ridiculous. He couldn’t trust someone he’d just met. He’d shown up here to argue and defend his sister’s honor, but here he was, sitting in a salon chair, smelling like a thousand different things and talking about how he trusted a hairdresser that had ruined Isabelle’s hair. He had finally lost it. 

Now, of course, they were going to sit here in awkward silence. Alec sighed. This wasn’t his job, but maybe, were people supposed to talk when they were getting their hair done? "Am I supposed— supposed to be talking?" 

"Hmm?" Magnus lifted his attention again and looked at Alec in the mirror. "Not if you don't want to." 

"It feels like I should," Alec muttered, looking down again. Magnus put his fingertips beneath Alec’s chin, pulling it back up and focusing on the cut. "Do you always just stand in silence and cut hair?" 

Magnus laughed and shook his head, focusing on his task again. "I've done that. I’ve revealed my life story, talked about one night stands, boyfriends, girlfriends, crazy things that have happened in my life, all of it. And I’ve  _ heard _ all of it too. More than all of it.  _ Lifetimes  _ of it." 

Alec couldn't help his breath catching in his throat at the easy mention of Magnus having a boyfriend. It was so easy for him, dropped into conversation casually, like it just  _ was _ . "I, uh. Tell me something?" he managed. 

Magnus blinked and considered that, humming for another minute before he answered. "Like what?" 

“Tell me the most ridiculous true story you’ve got,” Alec challenged. 

Magnus laughed. “I like how you need to caveat that it be a true story before anything else.” 

Alec couldn’t help grinning at the sight of Magnus laughing, how all the tension seemed to leave him and suddenly he was the same man who’d greeted him outside the salon once again. “Which means I was right to do so.” 

“Oh, unquestionably,” Magnus agreed, twisting his hands deftly, snipping a few more strands of hair. “All right, if you must know, I am banned from the country of Peru.” 

Alec blinked and lifted his eyes in the mirror to where Magnus was most determinedly not looking at him. He raised both of his eyebrows and waited. When Magnus didn’t add anything for another two minutes, Alec couldn’t resist prodding. “You’re going to drop a bomb like that on me and give  _ no _ details? Really? Come on now, I wanted a story, not a fun fact.” 

Magnus sighed and lifted his eyes to the heavens. “Oh very well. I guess I did dig myself into this hole. You see, it began when I made the greatest mistake of my life.” 

“Which was?” 

A bigger sigh this time before Magnus admitted to the mirror in front of them both. “I attempted to learn to play an instrument.” 

Startled, Alec laughed, and watched Magnus launch into the rest of the tale, his hands weaving the tale interchangeably as he told the story. He was magnetizing, and the way his eyes lit up as he talked, accentuated by the eyeliner, his lips glossy and plump and— 

“Alexander?” Magnus asked. 

Alec startled back to attention and focused on Magnus again and realized that the cape around his shoulders was being unbuttoned. His eyes flew to the mirror and he relaxed, blinking as he realized that his hair didn’t really look any…  _ different _ . Slightly less messy, and shorter. But still how he normally wore it. He sagged in relief. “It looks great.” 

Magnus smiled in amusement. “I’m impressed you let me cut your hair if you thought I was going to do a bad job with it.” 

“Well, you did kind of insist,” Alec said, unable to keep from smiling as he stood up, brushing imaginary dust and mostly imagined hair from his jeans. 

Magnus hummed and rolled his eyes. “So perhaps I did. But you’re satisfied with the service? I trust you won’t be leaving me an angry review?” 

Alec snorted and shook his head, heading towards the counter, pulling out his wallet. “No, no, you’ve earned every compliment you get and more. Especially with those scalp massages.” His cheeks flared into a blush, the pink edging towards crimson from the embarrassment of blushing in the first place. 

“Well, I am pleased and proud to have been of assistance to you,” Magnus teased. 

“Yeah,” Alec said, his mouth going dry as he took in Magnus’ smile. Drier than the Sechura desert in Peru that Magnus wasn’t allowed to step foot in— because Magnus’ life was exciting enough for him to be banned from entire countries. If only Alec was brave enough to ask for Magnus’ number, or to make a move of some kind. Any move. He’d settle for managing a half-seductive blink at this point. 

Magnus' smile went soft and kind and he smiled at Alec. "I suppose I won't be seeing you again?" 

"I don't know," Alec blurted, flushing when Magnus' eyes widened. "My hair will likely need taming again, at some point." 

Magnus raised both of his eyebrows and studied Alexander. "Well, until next time then, Alexander?" 

"I, um… " Alec paused, lifting his eyes back to Magnus, meeting those eyes, his heart pounding harder. 

"Alexander?" Magnus asked, watching as Alec's face suddenly gained determination. 

Alec took a deep breath and pressed a quick kiss to Magnus' cheek before dropping all the cash in his wallet on the desk, turning to run out of the shop, his cheeks a dark red. He had no idea how much money he had handed Magnus, but hopefully it had been enough to pay for the haircut. 

Magnus stared after the shadowhunter in shock, his heart pounding wildly, his eyes wide. He glanced at the handful of hundred dollar bills sitting on the counter and then back to the door. His reflection made him start with a gasp and he lifted his hands, staring at them. 

His hands were wreathed in blue flame. His magic was no longer dormant.

~!~ 

Alec knew that Izzy was going to see Magnus the following day and he had to hope that Magnus wasn't going to tell her how ridiculous he had been, how he'd—  _ by The Angel  _ — he'd KISSED him. His lips still burned from the chaste contact, remembering the soft touch of Magnus' cheek. He wanted to do it again, maybe even kiss Magnus properly, straight on the mouth if that was what the ex-warlock wanted. 

But, fighting the urge to snoop, he let Izzy go (without following her) to the salon. When she returned a few hours later, the white streak was dyed a dark burgundy that perfectly matched the shade of her lipstick. The rest of her hair was even gleaming with hints of the color, and a triumphant smirk was clear on her face, and, well. 

Alec maybe fell a little bit more in love, er, like, definitely like, maybe, with Magnus for making his sister smile like that. 

Her hair was not only beautiful, but it suited her, and now it looked like the streak had been dyed on purpose as a statement, not an accident. The dazzling grin Izzy wore around the Institute all day before she departed for Alicante was proof of that, and Alec couldn't help but be thrilled for her. 

"So, Alec," Izzy drawled. Alec had been hiding in his office for most of the day, but she wasn't going to let him get away with it for much longer. Not with everything Magnus had told her. 

Alec's eyes lifted from the pile of paperwork he was doing his best to sort through. "Yes, Izzy?" 

"Are you going to say whether you like my hair or not? I think Magnus did an absolutely amazing job!" she said, giving her hair a brief flip. 

"It looks wonderful," Alec agreed. Magnus had certainly worked magic, even though he hadn't had his at his disposal, and it showed in the way Izzy was now walking around and owning everything about her look and her hair. 

"You know what's more interesting? Magnus told me about your visit yesterday. And he said that you actually let him cut your hair," Izzy said, sitting on the edge of Alec's desk. 

Alec cleared his throat. "He did. It was just a trim. Nothing impressive." 

Izzy hummed and pulled something out of a bag, putting it on his desk. "Here, he told me to give you this. Run it through your hair after you get out of the shower." 

Alec took the small container, frowning up at her. "What is it?" 

"Leave-in conditioner. He said you'd paid for it, but didn't take it with you when you paid for both of our appointments yesterday," she added, her eyes narrowing as she watched her brother flush. "Which I don't seem to remember you agreeing to do." 

Alec cleared his throat. "It was—” he stammered. “Well. He— I just thought..." 

Izzy raised both of her eyebrows. "Is that so?" 

"Nothing happened," Alec blurted, but even now he could feel the soft skin of Magnus' cheek against his lips. "It just. He was just… kind. I was angry, and upset. And he was kind." 

Izzy softened and smiled at him, standing up and walking around his desk to wrap him in a hug. "Thank you for going to talk to him for me, but I told you I had things sorted, didn't I?" 

Alec nodded grumpily, even though he didn't want to quite admit it. "Your hair looks wonderful." 

"It does, doesn't it?" Izzy agreed, grinning again. He gave him another hug before heading towards the door. "I'm leaving shortly, you should go back while I'm on my trip." 

"I hardly need another haircut," Alec pointed out.

"You might not," Izzy agreed. "But, you do need Magnus' number, and I bet if you went back, he'd be willing to give it to you.  _ I  _ could give it to you, of course, but what’s the fun in that?" 

Alec flushed and looked determinedly back down to his paperwork. "You're dismissed. Don't be late for your meeting." 

Izzy laughed. "He  _ like _ s you, Alec." 

Alec's cheeks were burning and he ignored her. "Isabelle." 

Izzy rolled her eyes and grabbed the door handle. "Go back, Alec. He really does like you," she said as she shut the door behind her. 

Alec stared at the door when she closed it and sighed. The problem was that he'd been considering doing exactly that and had just needed an excuse. But he didn't have one. He didn't need another haircut and Izzy's hair had turned out perfect. Why would he go back? 

Except… 

Alec hummed and considered. There was something that he could do. After all, if it looked that good on Izzy... Maybe it wouldn't look completely horrible on him? If he got it done. 

He took a deep breath. It WOULD give him an excuse to go see Magnus again. And on top of that, Izzy would approve, and no one would be able to say anything to her if he'd done it too... 

Decision made, Alec nodded his head. Now he just needed a few things. 

~!~

Making the appointment had been easy. Getting the ichor into a small vial that he could then bring with them to repeat the accident had been harder, but he'd managed it. Telling Jace that he needed to leave the Institute for eight hours in the middle of the day without explaining why. 

Well. This was hell. 

"Alec, you can't just— " 

"Jace, I will list, in chronological order, the number of times that you have straight up disappeared on me if you even think about finishing that sentence. Times I so graciously didn’t write you up for— not including the reprimand reports I intercepted from mom and dad over the years. I told you about this three days ago," Alec said, slipping his jacket on, patting it to make sure that the vial of ichor was in his pocket still. “That was plenty of advance notice— more than I owe to one of my subordinates, I might add.”

Jace scowled. "I didn't think you were serious." 

"Why wouldn't I be serious?" Alec asked him. 

"Where the hell are you going anyways?" Jace asked, studying him. "You're looking… you're wearing that nice shirt Izzy got you." His blonde eyebrows knit together in confusion. 

"I haven't done laundry," Alec lied, walking past Jace. "I'll be back later tonight. Do not call me and do not burn the place down." 

"You did your laundry on Sunday like you always do!" Jace shouted, glaring as Alec didn't even bother to stop and tell him what the fuck was going on. 

Alec was glad when he made it out of the Institute without anyone else stopping them. He took a deep breath and immediately headed over to Brooklyn, trying his best not to fidget. What did Magnus think of him booking one of those long appointments? What was he going to think of the suggestion? 

Then he was standing in front of Bane’s Manes five minutes before his scheduled appointment time. Alec took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. He was going to get this done, and maybe,  _ maybe _ he could manage to ask Magnus out for a drink. That was his mission. He could do this. He'd taken down hoards of Ravener demons, asking a former warlock for a drink should be an easy thing. 

The second he walked in, his eyes slid straight past the receptionist to where Magnus was standing at his station. Alec's eyes widened because Magnus was... 

His breath caught. Magnus was twisting blue flames around one hand, lighting someone's hair on fire and cutting quickly with scissors in his other hand, concentration and joy mixed on his face. The blue of his magic was so  _ him _ , Alec almost forgot that he hadn't seen Magnus use it before. It was a perfect extension of his very being.

But hadn't Magnus told him that his magic was dormant? Alec frowned and went to go take a step closer to talk to him about it when he heard a very loud and pointed throat clearing. He swung his eyes back to the receptionist. 

"Are you here to see someone,  _ sir _ ?" she snapped, eyeing him. 

Alec flushed. "Uh, yeah. Um. I made an, an appointment. To see Magnus Bane?" 

She raised both of her eyebrows and eyed him up and down before looking over her shoulder at Magnus. "Hey Magnus, is this your shadowhunter?" 

Alec flushed and the blush darkened when Magnus' eyes met his, but instead of the warm brown he'd seen before, golden cat eyes were staring at him in shock and his breath caught.  _ Beautiful _ . 

"Alexander!" Magnus managed. 

"Hey— hey Magnus," Alec said, clearing his throat. He looked back at the receptionist. "I, uh. I'm his two pm? Alexander Lightwood?" 

Her face cleared and she blinked at him in surprise. "You're the one who called for a cut, bleach, color, shampoo and style?" 

Alec bit down on his lip and forced himself to nod. "Y— yes. Is that a problem?" 

Both her eyebrows raised and she stared at him in surprise, before gesturing to the chairs in the waiting room. "He'll be with you in a few minutes. Go ahead and take a seat." 

Alec nodded and moved over to the chairs, but he was too nervous to sit down, unable to keep from bouncing his leg before he stood up and started perusing the product that was on the shelves. He recognized the one Izzy had given him that he'd taken to using because it was quick and easy and smiled, picking it up off the shelf. 

"Alexander." 

Alec swung around, quickly pushing the product back into place, turning to face Magnus, who was staring at him in surprise and, was that… fear? "Magnus." 

Magnus cleared his throat and gestured to his chair. "Well, I hear you've made a substantial appointment, so maybe we should talk through what that is? What is your vision?" 

Alec nodded, a lump in his throat as he slipped his jacket off and followed Magnus. He couldn't get the image of the blue magic around Magnus' fingers out of his mind. It was so beautiful. Not quite as beautiful as his warlock mark, but it was so intrinsic to the other man, he couldn't help wanting to see it again. "Okay," he managed, his voice too small. 

Magnus waited for Alec to get settled before raising his eyebrows. "Why don't you tell me what brings you back?" 

"I uh," Alec cleared his throat again, reaching out and taking the small vial of ichor out of his hair, offering it to Magnus. "I want to repeat the happy mistake you did with Izzy, and the fix. She said that that, would, uh, be enough time," he added, gesturing to the receptionist. 

Magnus' eyebrows climbed and he stared down at Alec in shock and took a deep breath, digesting that and thinking through it. "Let me get this straight." 

" _ Not _ straight," Alec offered, his cheeks flaming as he looked up at Magnus, willing him to understand. By the briefly shocked look he did. Alec looked down at his lap and fought the urge to run and hide and pretend that he'd never made it that fucking obvious. 

"That's definitely one of the smoother ways I've ever been told," Magnus said, reaching out to gently touch Alec on the arm. "And I appreciate that. The cheek kiss did give it away, though." 

"I'm sorry I did that without asking," Alec muttered, because dammit, he'd known it had been a bad idea, but the words had been caught in his throat and he hadn't been able to say what he needed to say. 

Magnus gave his arm a quick pat. "You're forgiven, and it was more than fine. I enjoyed every single second, I promise you that. Now, let's talk through what you want me to do to your hair." 

"Right," Alec breathed out, some of the tension escaping him. "I, uh. I want to make sure no one says anything about Izzy's hair. It looks amazing, but it's, you know." 

"The Clave," Magnus supplied, groaning and rolling his eyes. "And you think you doing something to your hair will… help?" 

"I think they'll be so horrified by me doing something to my hair that they aren't going to look twice at her," Alec said, unable to keep a faint grin from forming at the idea. If he also had a video call with Inquisitor Herondale in a few days that was going to take full advantage of this, well, he could hopefully tell Magnus about it if he agreed to go out for drinks. 

Magnus laughed, throwing his head back before he grinned down at Alec. "Well, well. All right, I am all for sticking it to the Clave. What are you thinking, my little rebel?" 

Alec held up the bottle again. "I want you to repeat what you did with Izzy. I want, uh. A different color, though." 

Magnus took the bottle and nodded, pocketing it before fixing his eyes on Alec and he tilted his head. "What are you thinking for the color then? As good as burgundy would look on you… " 

"It's more Izzy's color," Alec finished, nodding. He saw Magnus' eyes drop to his shirt and he shrugged. "I don't particularly want green hair." 

“And I don’t particularly think anyone should have green hair— unless it’s natural, that is. Magnus hummed and reached out, pushing his fingers through Alec's hair, his eyes widening with delight. "Alexander, have you been putting  _ product _ in your hair?" 

Alec flushed and cleared his throat. "I like it. It makes doing my hair in the morning easier." 

Magnus gasped happily and pressed a hand to his heart. "Alexander, I am so very proud of you. But, let us not digress. What color do you want your hair to be?" 

Alec thought about it, but the first thing that came to mind was the wisps of blue magic around Magnus' fingertips, turning to flame that was used on someone's hair. He cleared his throat and looked up at Magnus. "Your magic is back?" 

Magnus blinked and cleared his throat, looking towards the front of the shop. "I, yes. It's a new development. But it's no longer dormant." 

"I'm glad," Alec said, blushing when Magnus' eyes swung to him again, gold and slit-pupiled. "I, you seemed like you missed it." 

"I did," Magnus agreed. "But I never expected it to come back. When I buried it, I did it for a specific reason. And I was, I was never expecting to have it woken up." 

Alec swallowed hard. "What triggered it to come back?" 

Magnus hummed and shook his head. "Another time, perhaps. Now, back to your hair. What color do you want? Blue would suit you too, perhaps a blue that's dark enough to be almost black so the Clave doesn't order your immediate de-runing?" 

"No," Alec blurted. He reached out and hesitated before taking Magnus' hand, pulling it closer to him, rubbing his thumb over the back of his hand, imagining the blue there once again. "I, I want the color of your magic," he managed, clearing his throat. "Can, can you do that?" 

Magnus felt his heart stutter to a stop and then resume beating in double time, roaring in his ears. Had he heard that right? "You, you want the color of my magic?" 

Alec turned Magnus' hand over and watched as the warlock summoned a flame for him to stare at and couldn't help smiling as he trailed his fingers through it. "Yes. This blue. I want it. It's beautiful." 

Magnus flushed and watched Alec continue to play with the flame he hadn't meant to conjure in his hand. It was like watching him with a toy, and the blatant joy on his face was adorable, making his heart ache. "Are you sure?" 

Alec nodded, pulling his gaze away from the blue flame to look up at Magnus before back down to it again. "I'm sure. It's beautiful. Your magic." He cleared his throat and tried a step further. "Not quite as beautiful as you are, but, then again, I don't know if anything is," he managed, his voice trailing off to almost nothing at the end. 

Magnus lifted a finger, taking a deep breath, even as the flame in his palm flared bright, brilliant pink. Alexander's eyes went wide and surprised and Magnus extinguished it a second later. He cleared his throat and he looked down at the shadowhunter. "Well, someone likes surprising me, don't they?" 

"Sorry," Alec managed, biting down on his lip. "I just, you make it sound so  _ easy _ , but I don't, I haven't..." 

Magnus pressed a finger to Alec's lips and took another deep breath, meeting those wide hazel eyes. "Let's recap quickly." When Alec nodded, but didn't move away from his finger, he definitely did not take a second to appreciate just how plump those lips were and how good they'd look elsewhere. 

“You liked Izzy’s hair enough to come get yours done in the exact same way.” A nod from Alexander. “Why?” 

Alec swallowed and met Magnus’ eyes. “I wanted to see you again,” he managed. 

Magnus took a sharp inhale and took a step closer. “So you decided to book an appointment that would leave you in my chair for more than eight hours and…?” 

“And…” Alec looked at the wall next to them and straightened his shoulders. He turned back to Magnus. “And maybe try to spend some of that working up the courage to ask you something.” 

Magnus hummed, stepping closer, reaching up to comb his fingers through Alec’s hair. “And what might that something be?” 

Alec’s mouth was dry and his eyes fluttered shut as Magnus’ fingers were in his hair again, giving a firm tug that had him groaning. “I, would you go out for drinks? With, with me?” 

Magnus blinked, focusing on Alec again and not the thick hair under his fingers. “Are you… ” 

“Attempting to ask you on a date? Badly? Because I have no idea what I’m doing? Yes,” Alec said, his heart pounding. His palms were sweating and Magnus’ finger against his lips was so tempting and all he wanted to do was suck it between his lips and maybe make Magnus react and see what he would do and— ” 

“You know,” Magnus drawled, pulling his finger away, staring down at Alec. “I usually have a policy against dating the Nephilim.” Before Alec’s face could fall, he leaned down and pressed a swift kiss to his cheek, mirroring the one he had gotten a few days prior. “But I think I could be persuaded to make an exception for you.” 

The smile Alec gave him was blinding and Magnus felt his heart skip a few beats, his magic sparking under his skin as he pulled back and cleared his throat. “Shall I tell you another story while we work?” 

“Yeah,” Alec breathed, looking up at him. “Please?” 

“Well,” Magnus cleared his throat, reaching out to tangle his fingers through Alec’s hair, waving his hand to summon the dye he would need, mixing it while he leaned his hip against the chair. “This is the story of how I got my magic back thanks to one of the Nephilim…” 

Alec’s eyes widened in recognition, his mouth dropping into a tempting little ‘o’ that Magnus stole a quick kiss from before continuing. “Now, sit back and enjoy your eight hours of pampering Alexander.” 

“Okay,” Alec breathed, his eyes still wide. 

“And if you’re good,” Magnus said with a wink. “I might even let you take me out for drinks afterward.” 

Alec nodded again, this time more rapidly. “Okay, okay yes. Yes, please.” 

Magnus laughed in delight and leaned in, whispering into Alec’s ear. “I think I like the way you say  _ please _ , Alexander.” 

**Author's Note:**

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